Wait Lists for Brazilian Cruise commencing 2/25/17

We are on the Mariner from BA to Rio starting 2/25. All suites show wait list...is this because the ship is full or that Regent has determined that a Brazilian Visa can't be garnered between now and cruise start?

The ship is likely full. Since visas for Brazil are now good for 10 years, many people already have valid visas so I doubt if this would be an issue.

Enjoy your cruise!

It has probably been mentioned before and we just missed it, but wonder why the Mariner March 8th cruise from Rio to Miami shows so much availability?

It has probably been mentioned before and we just missed it, but wonder why the Mariner March 8th cruise from Rio to Miami shows so much availability?

Because the itinerary is pretty bad; you won't catch us in those Brazilian ports north of Rio again.

Marc

Because the itinerary is pretty bad; you won't catch us in those Brazilian ports north of Rio again.

 

Marc

Agree with you. I'm not a fan of Brazil but wonder if you have been to the Amazon. If you have, what did you think of it?

Having never been to Brazil before, we booked the 8th March cruise up the Amazon and now feel really fed up after you said it's a bad itinerary. I hope we won't be too disappointed. Is there anyone out there who enjoyed this particular cruise? At least we'll enjoy all the facilities the Mariner has to offer and we have the same suite as we had before, so we should feel "at home".

Maureen & Tony

We thoroughly enjoyed our Regent Amazon cruise (Dec15-Jan16), with some very interesting, and different, stops and excursions along the way

Different to what we were expecting and, having done it, we would probably not repeat it - too many other interesting parts of the world on our bucket list

Don't recall anyone going down with scurvy due to lack of lemons on board :rolleyes:; our experience is that provisioning problems can occur anywhere in the world on Regent ships - we did run out of lemons during our recent cruise in Australasia

Thanks Flossie, I feel a bit better now. As long as the ship doesn't run out of champagne, I'll be a happy bunny!!

Maureen & Tony:)

Well, hate to say it, but they did run out of champagne on our November Amazon cruise - at least the Montaudon, which we much prefer to the Jacquart. (Though our favorite server in the Observation Lounge kept a supply for us.)

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This CC review is useful:

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=1690

Don't miss the Boi Bumba show in Paritins; it is very colourful; try to get a seat near the front

motone, I see you are going in March. This may be better than later in the year; it will be slightly cooler and, because Brazil has suffered from decreased rainfall for the last few years, our Captain found navigating the Mariner up the Amazon quite difficult when we went later in the year

Actually, while the ship ran of out of lemons on both of our Brazil cruises, they did have limes. The F&B Director told us how difficult it was to get fresh produce in Brazil. And, Captain Teo told us how difficult it is to sail in the Amazon. We choose the November cruise because we did not want to sail on the Navigator.

In terms of Boi Bumba show, I read a horrible report about that show (actually, it wasn't the show itself but the conditions). Buses were going back and forth from the ship delivering passengers to the show. After arriving, they sat in the heat waiting for everyone to arrive. I will read the review but at this point we do not plan on going. We also will be doing a private excursion in Manaus with friends that we are traveling with. I dislike heat very much and do not plan on subjecting myself to Regent excursions with too many people - all going to the same place at the same time. Not my idea of fun.

P.S. I couldn't find the exact negative post that I was looking for. There are positive and negative posts under "Ports" in CC. This post is short and pretty much describes what I've heard:

Amazon Cruise..Pros and Cons?

Posted By t60

We cruised along the Amazon Feb/March this year.,...

Manaus. Parintins Boi Bumba presentation for tourists- most people find this good BUT everyone says it ... is spoiled by the number of people holding up Ipads etc to video the show and blocking peoples views

Jul 15, 2016, 11:18 PM

Parintins: Boi Bumba

I can only report on our experience, which was very good and does not reflect the 'horrible report' that you read. I am not sure where buses came into the excursion as the show is in a venue within walking distance of the pier

Tripadvisor reports indicate that others also enjoyed the experience:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1074268-d8820162-Reviews-Boi_Bumba-Parintins_State_of_Amazonas.html

Also it was from the pier in Parintins that we watched pink dolphins

Manaus is like nothing else along the Amazon; a city in the middle of the rainforest, built with profits from early rubber plantations

We are thinking about the Nov 17 2017 sailing Miami back to Miami & doing the Amazon. I'm worried about the mosquitoes as I'm a magnet for them. Also concerned about the itinerary whether it is worth doing. Anyone have some advise on that?

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We are thinking about the Nov 17 2017 sailing Miami back to Miami & doing the Amazon. I'm worried about the mosquitoes as I'm a magnet for them. Also concerned about the itinerary whether it is worth doing. Anyone have some advise on that?

 

 

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According to many reports, the Amazon is too acidic to have mosquitos (but there are plenty of other bugs). Unless you go into the forest, mosquitos are not typically a problem. Having said that, I will spray with Deet as a precaution and will spray some of my clothes -- better safe than sorry!

Flossie - there are apparently two locations for the show - one is a shortened version that is put on for cruise ship passengers. The "horrible" (and it truly was a very bad review) review spoke of the area that required a bus to get to and did not have air conditioning. Was the place you went on the Regent excursion air conditioned and was it difficult to see the entertainment due to heads in front of you?

 

Flossie - there are apparently two locations for the show - one is a shortened version that is put on for cruise ship passengers. The "horrible" (and it truly was a very bad review) review spoke of the area that required a bus to get to and did not have air conditioning. Was the place you went on the Regent excursion air conditioned and was it difficult to see the entertainment due to heads in front of you?

I think I see the confusion

The Boi Bumba festival and competition is staged every year in June in a purpose-built 35,000 seat outdoor arena. I think the festival lasts about 1 week

The winners from the festival earn the right to put on Boi Bumba shows for tourists in a very much smaller indoor (air conditioned) venue near the port and this is where the Regent excursion goes. We thoroughly enjoyed the music, dancing and exotic costumes and had a clear view of the action; from memory the show lasted about an hour

I think there might be another excursion to see the 'Bumbadrome' itself but there would be no festival taking place at the dates Regent sails up the Amazon

I think I see the confusion

 

The Boi Bumba festival and competition is staged every year in June in a purpose-built 35,000 seat outdoor arena. I think the festival lasts about 1 week

 

The winners from the festival earn the right to put on Boi Bumba shows for tourists in a very much smaller indoor (air conditioned) venue near the port and this is where the Regent excursion goes. We thoroughly enjoyed the music, dancing and exotic costumes and had a clear view of the action; from memory the show lasted about an hour

 

I think there might be another excursion to see the 'Bumbadrome' itself but there would be no festival taking place at the dates Regent sails up the Amazon

Thanks for the clarification!

We are thinking about the Nov 17 2017 sailing Miami back to Miami & doing the Amazon. I'm worried about the mosquitoes as I'm a magnet for them. Also concerned about the itinerary whether it is worth doing. Anyone have some advise on that?

 

 

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Greetings from South Beach, tango223;52271108; where mosquitoes go to school for stingers. Try Avon's Skin so Soft original bath oil spray. I am not a magnet and it may be the result of the spray. Here, I only use it when I notice recent graduates visiting our terrace. The scent is unisex, and not unattractive. On our Panama Canal trip, I wore it while in port because we had to bring malaria meds with us. I removed the stuff in the shower before going to dinner. Very easy.

My DH and I did the coast of Brazil. Once was much more than enough. The only worthwhile thing,was the underwater national park off the coast where whales come to mate. Over several wonderful hours, we saw whales everywhere, even a mother breaching with her beside her. We were on a container ship, so no fancy narratives or attempts to entertain. Captain Robinson, our ship's Norwegian commander's only comment was "whale meat, good eating,"

Mary

Greetings from South Beach, tango223;52271108; where mosquitoes go to school for stingers. Try Avon's Skin so Soft original bath oil spray. I am not a magnet and it may be the result of the spray. Here, I only use it when I notice recent graduates visiting our terrace. The scent is unisex, and not unattractive. On our Panama Canal trip, I wore it while in port because we had to bring malaria meds with us. I removed the stuff in the shower before going to dinner. Very easy.

 

 

 

My DH and I did the coast of Brazil. Once was much more than enough. The only worthwhile thing,was the underwater national park off the coast where whales come to mate. Over several wonderful hours, we saw whales everywhere, even a mother breaching with her beside her. We were on a container ship, so no fancy narratives or attempts to entertain. Captain Robinson, our ship's Norwegian commander's only comment was "whale meat, good eating,"

 

 

 

Mary

Thank you Mary for you input & suggestion for repellent. We are leaning towards not doing the RT Miami through the Amazon but rather one in S America that goes through the Chilean fjords.

Tango223

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I checked the wait list today and it depends if you are looking at the trip ending in Rio or the BTB that continues to Miami. The 32 night BTB is all wait lists but the BA to RIO looks wide open in most categories!

but the BA to RIO looks wide open in most categories!

As is the Rio to Miami. Sometimes different cabins are booked on each segment such that you couldn't book the B2B without having to change cabins and sometimes Regent just decides they don't want to sell the B2B and sometimes Regent decides they only want to sell B2B. On our cruise in October a Cat G is available on B2B (you can see the cabin numbers available) but Regent has Cat G waitlisted on first segment.